Today there are over half a million people living in the UK with a significant degree of brain damage caused by a head injury. Headway in West Sussex is a charity set up to provide information and support for survivors of acquired brain injury, their partners, families, carers and friends. We hold monthly Support Group meetings for people with a brain injury, and carers. By meeting with others who
are experiencing similar situations, valuable insights can be learnt about coping with your own situation. Headway – the UK’s leading brain injury charity – provides support, services and information to brain injury survivors, their families and carers, as well as to professionals in the health and legal fields. It has more than 100 groups and branches throughout the UK. Key facts
• It is estimated that across the UK there are well over 500,000 people of working age living with permanent disabilities as a result of head injury
• Each year, around one million people attend hospital A&E in the UK following head injury
• Approximately half of deaths in people under 40 are due to head injury
• Head injury accounts for about 30 per cent of traumatic deaths and a higher proportion of long-term disability
• Men are two or three times more likely to have a brain injury than women. This increases to five times more likely in the 15-29 age range
• The major causes of head injury are road traffic accidents, falls and accidents at home or at work
